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Contents
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT VIEWS EXPRESSED BY INDIVIDUALS IN THIS
NEWSLETTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE WCPF.
THE WCPF EXECUTIVE
Details of who is who on the Executive can be found on the website. Just click on this link -
http://www.wcpf.org.uk/pages/home/executive-committee.php
! DIARY DATES!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! PRESIDENT’S PIECE! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 3!! TREATS - JUST FOR YOU!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5
! IVYBRIDGE COMMEMORATES!! ! ! ! ! ! 6
! HARRY’S PATCH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 7/8
! VENICE CARNIVAL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 9
! MASTERING COMPOSITION! ! ! ! ! ! 10/13
! BARRY BECKHAM - AV SUPREMO COMES TO WAVES! ! 14
! AN AUDIO VISUAL JOURNEY! ! ! ! ! ! ! 15/16
! THOUGHTS ON EXHIBITIONS! ! ! ! ! ! ! 17
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL BE LAUNCHED SOON AFTER THE
WCPF AGM WHICH IS ON 11TH OCTOBER 2014.
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E v e n t Details
14th September RPS Visual Arts Group meeting at the Dolphin Hotel, bovey Tracey. TQ13 9AL. More details and to book contact Linda Wevill - [email protected]
21st September RPS Field Trip to Sandymouth Bay. EX23 9HW. To book contact George Collings at [email protected]
27th September Don’t miss Barry Beckham’s fleeting visit to the UK! This popular digital exponent of AVs and all things photographic emigrated to Austrialia a few years ago - but has been booked to appear at WAVES on his first visit back to the UK. Booking form and contact details see page 13.
11th October WCPF AGM at Clyst St Mary Village Hall. EX5 1BG.
11th October Hand in at above event for Kingswood Salver competition.
15th November Kingswood Salver competition at Clyst St Mary Vil-lage Hall. Judged by Colin Harrison FRPS MPAGB,MFIAP, EFIAP/s to be followed by his talk “Digital Adventures”
3rd January 2015 Closing Date for Inter Club DPIC entries.
7th - 14th February 1025 Your chance to book a trip to the Venice Carnival. See page 8 to find out how!
8th February 2015 WCPF DPIC competition at the Corn Exchange, Exeter.
8th February 2015 Closing date for Knightshayes Trophy and WCPF AV competitions
Please keep me informed about events within your club or area?I’M ONLY AN EMAIL AWAY AT - [email protected]
The next newsletter will be launched soon after the WCPF AGM on 11th October - or when I have enough news to pass on!
Please keep me informed about events within your club or area?I’M ONLY AN EMAIL AWAY AT - [email protected]
The next newsletter will be launched soon after the WCPF AGM on 11th October - or when I have enough news to pass on!
DIARY DATES
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President’s Piece
The AGM on 11th October will bring my two years as President to an end. I have really enjoyed the Presidency, and having attended every event I believe that we should be proud of what the Federation has achieved. It was a particular honour to be involved in the hosting of the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit in Weymouth last November. I am confident that we are passing into safe hands with Pete Fry as President, and Greg Duncan as Vice President.
I must give my sincerest thanks to all the members of the Executive, along with many others, have worked very hard in organising our events and providing excellent help and support to our Clubs. I must single out Alan James and Chris Marsham whose roles are such that they are intimately involved in every single event. This creates a constant workload, even though they may have a low profile for the attendees. My last thank you must definitely go to Pam, who has been my invaluable strength and support over the last two very exciting years and we both look forward our continued and active involvement on the Executive.
The AGM will also see the retirement of Brian Galbraith from the Executive. Brian’s contribution has been immense, particularly when he took over the Presidency in very difficult circumstances, and then put in three very successful years in the role. In addition he has created an entirely new system of exhibition stands and always been there assist with setting up our various exhibitions. Brian,very best of luck for the future. In May, I created a WCPF Facebook page – this has been a low key affair so far, but it has attracted over 60 members and some interesting postings. I know that social media has its detractors, but it can be another effective way of communicating with our members – how well it develops it is up to the members.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual General Meeting 11th October 2014Leo Rich ARPS, EFIAP/g, DPAGB, APAGB, President of PAGB will be the afternoon speaker. Leo is a very popular and knowledgeable figure and has some great images, so I hope that this will attract a really good attendance. Fotospeed have also agreed to attend the meeting (as last year) to provide advice on printing and sell their products during the breaks and at lunchtime. The AGM will also be the hand in date for Club’s Kingswood Salver print panels.
Kingswood Salver 15th November 2014 Colin Harrison FRPS MPAGB FBPE MFIAP will judge the print panels in the morning and provide the afternoon talk – Colin is very experienced and has a very impressive body of work, he is also an entertaining speaker.
My very last link to something entertaining (2,542,000 hits) - Kama the Surfing Pig – having invested in a GoPro, I am still amazed at the many new applications that users dream up – copy and paste link - http://youtu.be/HgQPyU3J0P0
I now hand over to new President, Pete Fry for this section of the next issue – and my final and grateful thanks to Ann Owens, our newsletter editor who continues to produce this very fine publication – please continue to supply her with the raw material to create her masterpieces.
Eddy Lane
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WCPF AGM - Saturday 11th October 2014 - Clyst St MaryThe Idle Rich ..... sliding into digital
Afternoon Lecture by Leo Rich ARPS, EFIAP/g, DPAGB, APAGB
Having put himself through “the Mill” in trying to catch up with technology and going digital, Leo pro-duced his first projected digital image talk outlining pitfalls experienced on the way. This was done solely to make those poor demented creatures who have trodden the same path realise they were not alone.
Leo is currently President of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain and Secretary of the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit and sits on various of their committees including FIAP
“A memorable afternoon - not to be missed.” WCPF Kingswood Salver - Saturday 15th November 2014
A Competition for Panels of Five Prints from Five Photographers of one Club to be handed in at the AGM on 11th October.
Judge - Colin Harrison FRPS MFIAP EFIAP/p PPSA MPAGB FBPE FIPF
who will follow with his talk in the afternoon - “A Digital Adventure - Looking at Images”
This is a fast flowing, non-technical Talk, that covers my progression in digital imaging after the demise of colour slides. I will show how my image production has changed over the years as my computer skills have developed. I hope to pass onto you some of my digital “secrets” and my enthusiasm for photogra-phy. You will see a great variety of images including many award winners which have been exhibited in many countries around the world. However, Colin’s main interest is creating people images.
www.colinharrisonphotographer.co.uk
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IVYBRIDGE COMMEMORATES 100 YEARS SINCE START OF WW1
I’m a resident of Ivybridge, on the edge of Dartmoor, and my curiosity was piqued when I noticed a sign on a nearby piece of unkempt ground, letting residents know that the Royal British Legion had permission to create a memorial on it, to the men from Ivybridge who volunteered to fight in the 14-18 war, some of whom didn’t return.
I decided to keep an eye on things! Slowly but surely, a team of volunteers cleared the ground, and eventually, over a period of time, a transformation took place, which coincided so well with 2014 Centenary of the start of that war!
With a veiled sun and in the right position providing superb lighting conditions with no harsh shad-ows I decided now was the time to take a series of images.
Through supplying a local member of the Ivybridge Royal British Legion and the Ivybridge Town Clerk with the images, which were subsequently forwarded to a local newspaper and the “mover and shaker”, a local RBL member who was responsible for seeing this project through.
Now read Ray’s story.
Colin Lennox-Jones
(All Photographs by Colin, a member of Ivybridge Camera Club).
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HARRY’S PATCH
Nearly two years ago I started to think about the upcoming 100th anniversary of the start on World War 1, and about what we, as the town of Ivybridge, could do to commemorate all the people from this area who took part in that conflict. Forty-eight never came back; others who did had the men-tal and physical scars of war.
As an active member of the Royal British Legion I naturally considered the poppy and how we could use it.
First of all, I researched why we use the poppy as our symbol. It’s an interesting story which is incorporated into ‘Harry’s Patch’.
The poppy was introduced as a symbol of remembrance when John McCrae, a Canadian solder noticed how poppies grew in the disturbed ground around the artillery position he was in. This inspired him to write the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” after the death of a friend in that war.
As this symbol of remembrance spread from country to country it was adopted by Field Marshal Earl Douglas Haig, the founder and president of the British Legion in 1921 to use to raise funds. From those early days when the first poppy factory opened in the Old Kent Road, south London employing five disabled service men to make the poppies, has lead to a factory now producing forty million poppies a year, which are sold in the lead up to Remembrance Day each year, raising millions of pounds to support, present and past members of our armed forces and their families.
This led me to come up with two ideas which was put to our local Legion branch and received good support.
The first, to give local school child their own bag of poppy seeds to plant at home. A seemingly simply idea, led to logistical problems when the number of schools in the area were counted up!
Imagine 5000 bags; put in the sand; put in the seeds; seal; add the card; close and pack. More than four nights work later, and we were finally able to deliver the seeds to the schools!
A lot of hard work, but the reward was hearing youngsters proudly say “I’ve planted my poppy seeds’ or more recently “my poppies are growing!” More importantly when asked why they were growing them, they knew.
The second Idea was our own “ Flanders Field.” After a lot of searching, we were offered the patch of land we are on now, which at the time was a local eyesore.
Ivybridge’s roundabout memorial created by the Royal British Legion.Photo by Colin Lennox-Jones
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Work began twelve months ago, with a weeding party. What a difference that made to this roundabout.
As any garden goes it has to be done in stages. Once we had turned the ground the local South Hams Garden team treated the land to remove the weeds. In October I planted 800 daffodils monitored by Chief Supervisor Davies. In parallel to this a local company modified a bit of wood I had acquired into the sign you see today.
In spring, we had a plot of ground surrounded by daffodils, which we plan to plant with further bulbs in autumn, to have a roundabout surrounded by Daffodils.
Part way through this project a cross with a poppy appeared on the site, which we still don’t know who planted.
We were blessed with a good team of volunteers together with financial support by way of grants from our local District and County Councils.
We all agreed - “It’s not what you know. It’s not who you know. It’s what you know about who you know.” That phrase has been used a lot during this project, and my heartfelt thanks go out to all those who supported us.
With any project it starts as an idea, which includes what you see in your mind’s eye of what it will look like when it’s finished. I have to say this has far exceeded my expectations.
To finish I will go back to where I started with John McCrae’s poem, the last verse is -
Take up our quarrel with the foe To you from failing hands we throw The torch: be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die.
It is our mandate, to remember the sacrifice of these young men and women who paid the price of protecting our country since.
THANK YOU
Ray WilsonIvybridge RBL
The finished roundabout.Photo by Colin Lennox-Jones
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MASTERING COMPOSITION
Ann Owens - Why were you prompted to undertake this task?Richard Garvey William - perceived a need for a comprehensive guide on this topic that would draw together all the thoughts, principles and guidelines that have been espoused over the years. My experience of reading other books, photography magazines and being active in a local photography club had lead me to believe that analysis and discussion of this subject rarely goes beyond a couple of so-called rules, such as the ‘rule of thirds’. As one of the fundamental foundations under-pinning our art, I felt that composition deserved considerably more investigation and so took the project upon myself. It was undertaken partly through my own quest to continue improving my own photography and also to provide a resource that would hopefully do the same for other photographers.
AO - When did you start to put it all together?RGW - The idea probably entered my head about two years ago. I then spent a good year or so researching the subject, laying down the text and matching appropriate supporting images to it. The latter proved challenging as I felt that it was important that the chosen photographs illustrated the points well and also were of interest and an inspiration to the reader. I wanted it to appeal to photographers of all genres, so tried to include a good range of subject matter. My own main sphere of interest is wildlife and landscapes with some architectural and people work in the context of travel photography. So, I sought some other images to complement my own range and a friend, Mark Shuttleworth, kindly agreed to the inclusion of a number of his. With these, I think I have struck a nice balance and the feedback and reviews to date support this.
AO - How have you gone about finding a publisher, undertaken all the written words and supporting images? Marketing? Print run?RGW - As with most things in life, securing a contract with a publisher came down to hard work and a little luck. A number of years ago I worked on a book on Safari Photography and submitted it to a long list of publishers. The feedback I got was that they thought that its appeal was a little too
A request from a Newton Abbot Photographic Club member telling me about a new book he’d just written and had published, piqued my interest.
I ordered the book from Amazon (no expense spared!) and really enjoyed reading it. It’s filled with tons of information, and some wonderful photography. Even if you’ve taken photographs for aeons, I’ll bet you’ll learn something!
I HAD to contact the author and photographer, Richard Garvey William (seen left) to ask him more about the book.
Here’s our discussion -
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narrow. Whereas in the past they probably wouldn’t have hesitated in taking it on, they were now much more cautious. With this new title, which I felt assured would be of interest to all photographers, I set about the task of approaching publishers with more confidence.
It was about this time that I won an award in a magazine’s photography competition and was invited to their office to collect my prize. Striking whilst the iron was hot, I submitted a proposal for an article to the magazine editor so that we could discuss it face to face at our meeting. Fortunately, she was impressed and whilst there, she introduced me to the Managing Editor of their books department. Timing was on my side as he had just come out of a meeting and I was able to spend a good half hour discussing my book proposal.
To cut a long story short, after an enjoyable couple of months working with this publisher’s editor and designer and then a long wait during the proofing and printing process, the book is now on the shelves of major book stores and on Amazon! It is also being marketed in the States and Canada. It’s a little early to say how it is doing, as the various marketing ploys understandably will take some time to kick in. Of course, in this day and age, social media is a powerful marketing tool, and I have been trying to do my bit on this front too.
AO - Where did the inspiration come from for this project?RGW - I am blessed or burdened by an analytical mind which strives for order and harmony. I think for this reason, I have always taken care to carefully compose my images. So my investigations undertaken for the book proved fascinating and rewarding. This kind of mind with its attention for detail also suited this project as it required drawing together and interpreting a lot of concepts and fitting them into a coherent and logical framework.
AO - Who is the book aimed at?RGW - It is aimed at photographers in general, whatever their fields of interest or levels of experience. The principles discussed are applicable to all genres of photography and indeed should be of interest to artists involved in other forms of visual art.
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These black-faced impala lined up drinking provide a good example of how similarity and repetition can be so pleasing. Note how ‘anomaly’ also emphasizes the individual wary of lowering its head.
An example of an image where an object, in this case the distant boat, is small enough and distinct enough in tone, to actively draw the eye. The path and lead in lines also take the eye there with the open gate acting as a symbolic invitation to the viewer to enter the scene and make the journey.
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Anyone passing poppies on the roadside will know how red tends to grab our attention.
This picture of the shadow of a bush cricket viewed on the underside of a banana leaf illustrates how the orientation of the cricket seems to influence the direction of movement of our eyes. An optical line is created which unites with the other strong line in the image to form a satisfying inverted ‘V’.
AO - My thanks to Richard for taking the time to explain things to me, and also for providing me with super samples of images from his book. I found it a very informative and inspirational read, and can really recommend it.
Want to see more of Richard’s work? Go to his website at - http://www.richardgarveywilliams.com
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W.A.V.E.S(Western Audio Visual Enthusiasts)
are delighted to host
A DAY with the BECKHAMS(the Digital Ones)
Saturday 27 September 201410.00 am for 10.30 am until 5.00 pm
We can look forward to a day packed with useful hints and tips on preparing your images and music and combining them into an audio visual sequence using
Pictures to Exe.
Venue: St. Thomas' Church Hall,York Buildings,Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 8PT
Cost: £10.00 per personSpace limited, so book early!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------BOOKING FORM
Name : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EMail : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I do/do not require directions
Date: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Send your cheque for £10 payable to “Western Audio Visual Enthusiasts” toBrian Fish, 24 Hawthorn Hill, Worle, Weston Super Mare, North SomersetBS22 9EB.
You will receive an email in confirmation which will serve asyour entrance ticket.
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An Audio Visual Journey
When I first joined a camera club in 1995 I remember seeing an Audio Visual presentation by Martin Fry who used four projectors and slides (in the pre-digital era of course!) I was fascinated by the end result.
Last season he came to the Club again, minus the 4 projectors but with a digital projector and high quality sound speakers – I was equally impressed!
Fifteen years later the digital era had made creating an AV a lot more affordable. A basic software programme is needed, such as Pictures to Exe. (P2Exe) The latest version costs £50, but now enables video clips to be imported, and for audio tracks to be edited within the show. Mac users are having to wait a bit longer for a version for them!
However, ProShow Gold and Fotomagico, similar in cost and interface to P2Exe, are other quality programmes, which Apple Mac users can use The latter programme has been reviewed in the May Edition of AV News, a quarterly magazine produced by the Royal Photographic Society, and which anyone can subscribe to.
I got started with the practical side of AVs when a few years ago the Portishead Camera Club was asked by Portishead-in-Bloom to produce a five minute Audio Visual sequence, which was to be given to the Royal Horticultural Society Judges prior to their visit to Portishead for their formal inspection of the town’s efforts in creating sustainable plantings and schemes to enhance the local environment.
I was one of three members of the Camera Club who worked together to produce the AV. It was a steep learning curve where a lot was learned from the exercise, particularly the limitation of approximately seventy images to give an overview of the visual impact of the work done by the Portishead-in-Bloom committee, the use of P2Exe and the deadline for the sequence to be produced!
I learned the hard way, but there is plenty of help out there to get you started. Tutorials may be purchased from Websites like Barry Beckham (http://www.beckhamdigital.com.au) and recently a forum has been started on the site Better still, get your ticket now for Barry’s visit to Trowbridge, where WAVES are hosting one of his rare UK visits. You won’t be disappointed! Booking form is on page . . .
If you use P2Exe, then the Winsoft website has a free forum where you can ask questions about “How to.....?” Go to http://www.wnsoft.com.
The first Audio Visual presentation I made in my own right was to the Portishead Floral Art Society AGM. At the time my wife was on the Committee and entertainment was required after the AGM. The first few I made were Spring, Summer and Autumn each about 4 mins long – these sequences could be described more as Photo-harmony, basically harmonising images and music. In subsequent sequences I have at-tempted to tell a story in words, images and music with a beginning, middle and an end – the true art of Audio Visual!
For a few years I went along to the Annual WCPF Audio Visual Competition. It was fascinating to see the ideas that people used to make an interesting story and it also gave me some idea of the standard required to be competitive. When I thought I had reached an acceptable standard I entered the 321 Competition (for an Audio Visual not exceeding 3mins 21sec) I was delighted that my entry “Wow Gorillas” in the 2012 competition was adjudged the winner, but because I was on a holiday to Keukenhoff Gardens, I wasn’t there to savour my win!
About four years ago, Portishead Camera Club started an Audio Visual Competition and although the first year drew only a few entries, last year saw that grow to fourteen! Showing the sequences also provided the club with an entertaining evening! It is anticipated this will become a regular feature each year as our standard and confidence improves!
If your Camera Club doesn’t have an Audio Visual competition at the moment - why not give it a try?
I have a lot to thank W.A.V.E.S for. I joined this specialist club for AV enthusiasts a few years ago, and have gained no end of help and encouragement to improve and expand my knowledge of this genre.
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The group meets at Trowbridge four times a year with a Programme of Workshops, Guest Speakers, Theme Days and most importantly an opportunity to show sequences, in the making or completed, for constructive criticism. An addition in the last few months has been informal meetings of small groups of members local to one another for discussion and exchange of ideas – appropriately called ‘Ripples’!
If you have some members keen to improve their AV’ing knowledge, and think a small group near you would work, go to the website - http://www.wavesav.co.uk where you will find out how to go about starting one in your area
As a Group, WAVES has produced a CD with a variety of Audio Visuals produced by members. Details of how Clubs may book this presentation are available in the WCPF Directory.
In August 2013 the President of the WCPF, Eddy Lane and his wife Pam, came to a meeting. This was a Theme Day where Members were split into small groups and provided with a set of random images and some pieces of music with the task of producing an AV, which each group then showed at the end of the day.
As a finale, Eddy also showed a number of his Audio Visuals on various subjects, which were well received.
WAVES has had some of the leading exponents of Audio Visual workers in the country amongst its membership, including the late Lady Doreen (wife of Sir George Pollock) and the late Valerie Rawlings. Currently the Club is fortunate to have Sir George Pollock and together with Robert and Maureen Albright as members.
In March this year Robert won the prestigious International Audio Visual Competition, the IAC-Peter Coles Trophy and the Gold Medal with his sequence ”AZ”. He is Chairman of the PAGB AV Panel who have revised and updated the rules for AV Awards at CPAGB, APAGB and MPAGB. For more details please look at the PAGB website www.thepagb.org.uk/merit . Is is hoped that the first AV assessments under these new rules will take place in early 2015. Producing Audio Visuals is far more than just for a competition! It enables one to make use of more of those digital images taken on holidays, family occasions, historic events an so - although researching facts, finding the appropriate music and making voice recordings all forms part of the skills needed to give your photography a new perspective!
A challenge, certainly, but very satisfying when your AV is completed and is projected on the screens, big or small! And there’s nothing better than the approbation of your peers on your latest creation
Peter RoseAUGUST 2014
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THOUGHTS ON EXHIBITIONS
A new style glossy photographic journal for July flopped onto the doormat. Inside, a report proudly details progress with the preparations for an International Print Exhibition.
Photographers worldwide clearly have a high regard for what may be the most prestigious event of its kind in Europe. They have demonstrated this enthusiasm by entering 6,500 images for consideration by the judges. Of these, the selection panel had to agree on the 100 which would make up the exhibition to be opened by the time this newsletter appears.
As any competitive club photographer will know, work condemned by one judge sometimes becomes praised by another. That is just the way things are with the appreciation of any kind of art and both opinions will be of value to the author. But it does show that however experienced and qualified members of a selection panel might be, an element of chance exists within the system. For anyone offering an image for the above exhibition, we see that the odds of its acceptance were about 64:1 against.
Many clubs have their own exhibitions open to the public and the general practice seems to be that members may submit a given number of photographs and these will be included without the intervention of any selection procedure. The result will be that some exhibits may lack technical quality but, at the same time, contribute some freshness and originality to the show. Such an exhibition tells us a lot about the club, but filtering the submissions by selection would tell us more about the selection panel.
For some exhibitions, images are first presented over the internet, sparing the contributors the time and expense of printing and mounting, when most would be rejected. Some might suggest that viewing an image on a computer monitor is not the best way of making a judgement but it clearly reduces the effort required to achieve an initial assessment.
Now that the quality of computer monitors and their colour profiling have reached a high standard, ways exist for the photographer to exhibit his or her skills to a world-wide audience without the in-tervention of a selection panel. Websites are cheaper than ever to set up and a casual surf of the inter-net will uncover an astonishing variety of work in all subjects and categories of the art. Does this foretell the demise of the formal static exhibition of prints? Almost certainly not. There is much to be enjoyed by strolling quietly around a well presented collection in a pleasing venue. At least once during a visit you may find yourself exclaiming, “Why ever did they choose that one?”
But that’s selection panels for you.
CLUBMANWCPF Members’ Exhibition being enjoyed.
